


Light's Gone, Day's End

by anderred



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Horror, Hurt, M/M, Superheroes, Villains, nightbird - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-16
Updated: 2015-09-22
Packaged: 2018-03-18 02:41:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3553052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anderred/pseuds/anderred
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nightbird, come out, come out wherever you are.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ladybug Ladybug

**Author's Note:**

> With the fandom's love for The Flash AUs or Nightflash everywhere (so eternally thankful for that), I decided to write one with just Nightbird as the only superhero and Sebastian as the normal citizen for a change. I planned for this story to be told in verses, following no distinct timeline but filling in gaps as I go along. This first verse sets the ground for the main plot happening, with a villain set out to hurt Nightbird and his one true weakness. The verses that will follow will give more background stories to those alluded to in this part.  
> Title of the collection is from Ed Sheeran's _The A Team_ and the nursery rhyme included + the title of this verse is from _Ladybug Ladybug_. {Listen to the scary version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyinuvmTboc to help you get the feel of how it's sung in fic}

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Verse #1: Ladybug Ladybug  
>  _Nightbird, Nightbird fly away home  
>  Your house is on fire and your family is gone  
> All except for one called Sebastian  
> For he has crept under the frying pan_

_Nightbird, Nightbird fly away home_  
_Your house is on fire and your family is gone_  
_All except for one called Sebastian  
_ _For he has crept under the frying pan_

Blaine jolted awake with a choked exhale, sheets clinging to his sweat-kissed skin as he panted into the darkness surrounding his room.

He convinced himself it was only a dream, and after a few strangled moments, slowly lowered himself back down on his suddenly cold mattress, clutching the thick duvet tightly between his fingers.

But it felt too real to be a dream.

And the song flowed through his veins with such clarity that Blaine was certain someone was just here, singing the song specially tempered with, only for him to hear.

-

_Nightbird, Nightbird fly away home_

Blaine watched the mayor shake hands with the head curator of the Lima Institute of Science, the sacred vessel back in its place behind the glass container. It looked thicker even from afar and from Nightbird’s view behind the shadows, rightfully so after the incident last month when it had been stolen from the protective arms of the city. It was said to be the most dangerous form of biotic serum, designed to, well, that part was top secret. But Nightbird didn’t need to know the details, all he needed to know was that whatever _it_ was, its security was important enough to keep the whole city safe. It had been his job to find it and bring it back, from the hands of the most terrifying man he had ever had the chance to fight against.

_Terra._

Latin for earth, land, ground.

Terra wasn’t merely a person, no one has ever been sure if he was even human, despite having the physical features of such. But only Nightbird was the only one successful enough to have gotten close to him. Too close, in fact. He felt like an ice cold apparition, there but not really, grounded, but swift. It left a hollow feeling somewhere deep inside him being in Terra’s presence. Maybe that was his power, to make you feel cold and empty; alone.

Nightbird shook his head as his cape danced behind him along with the gust of wind, accompanying the celebration beneath him as photographers took pictures of another milestone the city’s nocturnal avenger granted. They were safe once more, and they have him to thank endlessly.

Hazel eyes easily spotted the one he was looking for amongst the crowd, a head of auburn hair snapping non-stop photos from the mini stage set up in front of the audience.

_Most importantly, you’re safe._

With a jump from behind the wall of the skyscraper, Nightbird disappeared.

-

_Your house is on fire and your family is gone_

There was a pounding against his door, far too early for Blaine’s liking, the red bold blare of _8:00 AM_ visible from his digital clock beside him. He slowly dared to blink an eye open, the blinds tightly closed to protect his eyes from the day’s bright rays, shielding him from his disabled condition.

“Blaine! This is a 911!” Sam hollered from the other side of the door, a fist still working to knock against the wood. Blaine was on his feet in an instant, knowing from the codes and the tone in Sam’s voice that this was red alert emergency. “Blaine, please, bro! _BLAINE!_ ”

He rushed past the living room barefoot, racing as fast as he could to let Sam in, the blond releasing a relieved breath the second he opened the door for him. The sight of Sam made his stomach drop, his ribcage painfully coiling around his chest. A telltale sign that he was about to hear some bad news.

“Blaine,” Sam managed, his voice panicked and uneven, pushing past him to turn the TV on, and immediately, Blaine’s entire apartment was flooded with the same familiar tune he had heard that night.

_Nightbird, Nightbird fly away home_  
_Your house is on fire and your family is gone_  
_All except for one called Sebastian  
_ _For he has crept under the frying pan_

“Terra,” Blaine breathed out, his limbs shaking in terror. He didn’t miss the alteration made to the song, all the more reason it sent a violent shiver up his spine.

The nursery rhyme repeated over and over, the same tune rewinding as soon as the four short verses ended, with the screen entirely black. Sam flipped through the channels to show him that it was all the same throughout every station and program available, unable to escape and no place to run.

Terra had taken over it all.

_Nightbird, Nightbird fly away home_  
_Your house is on fire and your family is gone_  
_All except for one called Sebastian  
_ _For he has crept under the frying pan_

Blaine stood unmoving from where he was, the song blurring together into white noise, daggers piercing through every bone in his body. "Where―”

“We don’t know,” Sam answered tightly, walking slowly to his friend, anchoring him in place with two hands gripping either side of Blaine’s arms. “But we’ll find him. We’ll find him, Blaine.”

-

_All except for one called Sebastian_

“Where is he?!” Santana’s scream nearly busted his eardrums, but he didn’t complain nor did he tell her to stop panicking. She was merely voicing the race of thoughts that have been haunting him for days.

Santana’s fingers shook as she dialed her best friend’s number for the millionth time (without exaggeration). Because it’s been _days_ since anyone had heard from Sebastian Smythe. His name playing on loop non-stop from every channel, every network and every home that owned a TV, computer, radio, any electronic device that could play the sinister song nonstop.

Sebastian was missing and nobody knew where he was.

It was driving Blaine insane.

“I will fucking find that Nightbird myself and kill him!” Santana threatened, swallowing as she tried again, and again, and again, before she finally threw her phone against the wall, the iPhone shattering without difficulty.

Blaine tried. Nightbird tried. As soon as Sam snapped him back to reality, he was donned in the black and blue armor in an instant, flying back and forth, left and right, across town and beyond, anywhere he might find Sebastian, Terra, any sign that he could fix this, find the person he needed to protect the most.

But he failed. And he failed. And he failed.

The villain had obviously hidden much better this time, after being defeated by Nightbird from the serum scandal. A revenge crafted perfectly.

Blaine threw his costume away after three unsuccessful days, crumpled and beaten at the back of his closet. He was Nightbird without any breaks, day-in, and day-out. So he tried as Blaine, filing missing reports, asking the mayor what to do, every police station, every civilian, seeking their help. Everyone was terrified, the city shaking with slight tremor. They knew Terra was doing all of this, and to everyone’s knowledge, he had captured an innocent bystander as ransom for whatever he wanted in return, and each was afraid they’d be next.

But Blaine knew better.

Terra was using Nightbird’s one true inevitable weakness against him.

How he found out, however, was knowledge beyond his access. Blaine had been so careful, separating his personal, _normal_ life from his alter ego. But Terra had somehow cracked his secrets, and was now keeping the most important person in his life away from him.

“He better be okay. Please, let him be okay,” Santana’s broken whispers brought him back, watching Sam pull her into a tight hug just as her knees buckled underneath her from all the worry, concern, _fear_ that somewhere Sebastian was being held hostage, being beaten and tortured. If he was still alive, that is.

The thought drove Blaine even more mad, and pieces of him were slowly crumbling, dying, leaving him entirely powerless to fight against it.

-

_For he has crept under the frying pan_

Terra was the most terrifying _thing_ anyone had ever (barely) witnessed. He had a body, but they’ve never seen a face. Not even Nightbird when they had come close enough for combat. Terra was like a spirit just passing through, a ghost that haunted everyone, capable of doing every malicious thing possible.

And now he had Sebastian.

And Blaine had had enough.

“What does the serum do?!” Nightbird bellowed at the mayor, giving the man a scared start from where he was seated behind his desk, the Avenger looming across from him. The guards were ready to interfere when necessary as they hovered by the door, but even they weren’t sure they could do any real damage to the masked hero. “And what does Terra want with it?!”

“I—I don’t know,” he stammered, letting out a breath as he tried to compose himself. No one has ever seen Nightbird this angry, this destructive. Then again, no one has ever seen Nightbird in person, period.  He was a savior, a black angel that put the needs of people first, but always remained a flutter of black cape or a darkened blur gliding by, a heroic smudge on the front page of their newspapers every morning. Never been seen in the flesh, alive and still in front of anyone.

No one but one.

“Think! Get in contact with the Institute! The scientists in charge!” Nightbird demanded, slamming his gloved fist against the table, tension increasing heavily around the office. “He has an _innocent citizen_ held hostage! It’s been five days and we have no leads!” He was shouting his own frustrations more than anything, recalling the facts he already knew too well. He was exhausted and he hadn’t slept in days, and back at his place, Sam was still working to track any traces he could find, anything that could give him any hope that Sebastian was still out there, alive and breathing, ready for him to rescue and take home.

The serum was the only connection they could make, the only logical one that existed. Nightbird destroyed whatever Terra had planned, and now Blaine was paying the price.

“What the serum contains is government secret. I’m only meant to keep it secured in the one city that could develop its contents. But we’re doing everything we can—”

“Bullshit!” Nightbird _screeched_ , a high-pitched sound that pierced through everyone’s ears present in the room, making everyone bend over and cover their ears with tightly closed eyes.

“Please! I really don’t know!” The mayor relented, recovering after Nightbird had closed his mouth and paced around the room. It was clear to everyone how angry their hero was, how weak he had gotten, tired and restless; cold and empty. Everything Terra could inflict on a person. “We’ve set up parameters everywhere, officers stationed at every post, city intellects tracing every nook and cranny in search of Terra. But you know he’s impossible to find. It’s like finding a ghost.”

Blaine couldn’t help but agree. He had been there and failed numerous times.

They’ve angered the monster, and these were the consequences they were being forced to face.

When everyone had completely recollected themselves after Nightbird’s small outburst, the mayor straightened himself up to help the masked avenger think through this more rationally. “We _have_ contacted the Institute, but they have been on shut down since the recovery of the saved serum, which is thanks to you. They’re obviously keeping whatever they have in there as safe as possible.” Sam had been trying to hack into their system and Nightbird had tried to break into their facilities.

Both plans failed.

“We’re continually trying our best. But the question is why take this boy.”

Nightbird stiffened by the window, fingers clenching at his sides.

“He could have taken a kid, several kids, in fact, to alert us more radically. Or an entire building filled with hostages. Or someone of importance that—”

“Terra did take someone important,” Nightbird cut him off, blending into the shadows more easily. The curtains were drawn back by the wind before Nightbird flew in earlier, leaving no source of light to colour the darkly lit room of the mayor’s office. Not that anyone minded, the whole of Lima caught on quickly why their hero only ventured out during the night or lurked in the shadows when he had to save someone during the day; not to mention the first half of his name.

Nightbird’s voice had lowered, throat tight as he crossed his arms over his chest, leaning his back against the far corner of the room. “Sebastian Smythe is—”

Suddenly, there was an overwhelming noise of static, TVs, radios and cellphones all going off at once throughout the entire city.

_Nightbird, Nightbird fly away home_  
_Your house is on fire and your family is gone_  
_All except for one called Sebastian  
_ _For he has crept under the frying pan_

The voice was so crystal clear, as if the lullaby was being sung by someone in the room, chilling everyone to the bone. Every guard had their guns out, three already surrounding the stricken mayor behind his desk, and Nightbird had taken center stage, forcing his feet to stay still and his entire body to stop shaking.

“ _Nightbird, Nightbird_ ,” came the whisper, making everyone turn their heads back, up, forward, everywhere and nowhere at once. It was driving Blaine over the edge.

“Terra!” He yelled, his dark vision taking in every spot, every hiding place around the room, desperately trying to find the source that had caused the crippling pain that took the place of Sebastian’s absence in his heart. “Terra! Where is Sebastian Smythe?!”

_“Tsk, tsk, do you not like nursery rhymes, Nightbird?”_

Then the song was on loop again, much softer this time, as if the lyrics were sliding their way into Blaine’s pores and covering up the cadence of his existence to hurt, to ruin, to destroy.

_“You took something from me, Nightbird. I’m merely returning the favor.”_

_Nightbird, Nightbird fly away home_  
_Your house is on fire and your family is gone_  
_All except for one called Sebastian  
_ _For he has crept under the frying pan_

It was harder and harder to escape the tune, as if it was taking over his mind, heart, body, soul, shattering him to pieces from the inside.

“Where is he?!” Nightbird screeched louder, the sound shattering the glass windows, making the mayor and the guards cower in on themselves, both from Nightbird’s anguish and Terra’s chilling presence.

_Nightbird, Nightbird fly away home_  
_Your house is on fire and your family is gone_  
_All except for one called Sebastian  
_ _For he has crept under the frying pan_

And there it was, a broken scream that matched Nightbird’s agony, penetrating deeply through the black mask, the hard armor, the protective suit that hugged him, making Blaine turn rigid from the sound that made his knees finally give in, falling on all fours as Sebastian’s rippling cries sounded from all around them.

 

 


	2. Ring Around The Rosies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"Ring around the Nightbird,”_ Sebastian whispered into his ear, sending a sharp shiver up his spine. _“A pocket full of posies.”_  
>  Blaine and Sebastian’s first meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the scary version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVpPlWlHMrA  
> Warnings for some horror bits.

“Blaine. Blaine, dude, watch out for that—!”

Sam cringed at the loud clatter of noise, Blaine diving head first into a box of props while the tray of papers he was holding flew up in a clatter of rain around them.

“...box of wigs and costumes.”

The blond rushed to his friend’s aid, offering the staff an embarrassed smile as he helped Blaine back on his feet, a pearl necklace hanging loosely over his gelled hair.

“You okay there, buddy?”

Blaine groaned at the mess he created, as well as the pain throbbing from the side of his neck at the impact. Damn sequined leather jackets from the Elvis play. “Yeah, I just got distracted by—”

“Here, let me help you with that.”

He nearly tripped on his suddenly unsteady legs when the guy he had been staring at—the reason for his fall—was suddenly by his feet, gathering up the papers.

“Here we go,” Sam muttered when Blaine fell against his chest, straightening him back up in one fluid motion.

The stranger remained oblivious as he crabbed-walk to reach for the papers lying around everywhere, with Blaine merely staring at him.

“No, I don’t need any help. It wasn’t like it was your fault you dropped these anyway,” the man quipped, looking up to catch Blaine’s eyes behind black-rimmed glasses. Sam gripped his arm tighter to keep his best friend steady.

“Right—of course, I’m so sorry,” Blaine was crouching in an instant, helping to clean up his mess with a few more to pick up while Sam chose this opportunity to turn around and suddenly blend into the background.

The man gave an amused chuckle, making Sam bend his leg back so Blaine could have something to hold on to from the sound that made his spine tingle. Thank god his best friend knew him too well.

“It’s all right, I wasn’t doing anything anyway,” the stranger assured, standing back up as he rearranged the disorganized mess of papers in his hands. Blaine followed suit, only tearing his eyes away from the man’s gorgeous facial structure when he noticed the camera perched around his neck.

“Photographer, you are,” Blaine pointed out dumbly, making Sam roll his eyes from behind him.

“Beagle Lima The work I at,” the guy followed along, a quirked grin plastered on his lips that made Blaine blush furiously.

“I mean, I—”

“Are you usually this uncoordinated?” He laughed, handing over the stack of papers. Blaine reached out, completely stricken and working on auto-pilot. The shorter boy blinked for a few moments before snapping himself out of it. _Get it together, Anderson_. “No, well—yeah. Sorry, it’s just been a long day.” _And you’re ridiculously attractive._

“I hear you,” the stranger nodded, pocketing his hands as he watched Blaine clumsily crunch the papers between his fingers. “Must be super hard work to be a production crew for an off-Broadway show.”

Blaine pouted. “That’s big coming from a photographer.”

The man laughed again, not at all offended. “There you go, finally got you to ease up.”

Blaine blushed again, ducking his head to hide a smile.

“But seriously, I didn’t mean to insult you. I feel you, actually, it’s been a lousy day for me too. I rather be working on trying to find Nightbird than take pictures of—”

But the guy didn’t get to finish when Blaine dropped all the papers again, Sam already on his knees to pick them up.

“I got it!” The blond shouted, eagerly gathering up the papers and was on his feet in seconds, Blaine still a statue beside him.

“Evans Sam I am,” Sam greeted the man in front of them, finally stepping in now that this guy opened up a topic Blaine needed a free pass from.

“Smythe Sebastian,” the guy smiled, but his eyes remained glued to Blaine. “Friend your okay gonna be?”

It took Sam a good ten seconds to decode that, face scrunched up before it relaxed and nodded way too enthusiastically. “Yeah, Blaine just gets cramps.”

Sebastian’s eyebrows knitted together.

“Limb cramps,” Sam corrected. “Not period cramps, obviously, he—anyway,” he cleared his throat, a few pieces of papers finding their way back to the ground as he tried to nudge Blaine back to life.

Blaine shook his head, opening and closing his mouth with a nervous laugh. “You work on Nightbird?”

Sebastian seemed relieved Blaine was okay, nodding and proudly clutching his camera out of habit. “Yeah, I’ve been trying to get his story on the paper for _months_. But my asshole boss always gives me the ‘No pictures, no story’ bullshit.”

Sam and Blaine stared at him with forced smiles.

“...what?”

“It’s just—no one really—I mean,” Blaine began. And failed.

Sam jumped into it. “Nightbird is just—pfft, what? What was that, director? Need my help? Coming!”

And failed.

Blaine muttered a low “jerk” under his breath as Sam jogged away from them, leaving a trail of papers in his wake. Which was a good thing, if Blaine thought about it. Sam was actually worse than he was when it came to his secret identity.

“You guys hate Nightbird or something?” Sebastian sounded defensive as he crossed his arms over his chest. And Blaine was both flattered by Sebastian’s obvious love for the superhero and the flex of his biceps.

“No, I just don’t...believe it. Him. It. Or her, you know, feminism,” Blaine attempted, shrugging his shoulders awkwardly, racking his brain for better excuses. “What I meant to say was, I didn’t think anyone would be interested in writing a story about the guy.” _I didn’t think anyone would be interested in writing a story about me._

Sebastian relaxed a bit, accepting Blaine’s answer with a shrug. “I do. I think he’s great.”

Blaine blushed a cute pink, biting his lip before schooling his expression better. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Those ass in spandex really does things to a guy.”

Blaine choked on the air around him.

Sebastian let out another laugh, patting him on the shoulder before giving it a tight squeeze. Which didn’t help Blaine at all.

“ _Anyway_ ,” Blaine managed, skin warm and flushed. “You wanna take pictures of Nightbird?”

“One of the reasons I got so into photography, I switched majors in college,” Sebastian smiled, toying with the strap of his camera.

Blaine wanted to scrunch his nose, jump up high and do a pirouette all at the same time from the butterflies bombarding his stomach. “How inspiring—”

“Smythe! Come on! The cheap luminescent lights are already giving me a migraine!” A loud girl with dark, long hair called from behind the tall boy.

“Well, that’s my partner calling. The writer to my pictures, I mean,” Sebastian explained when he caught the widening of Blaine’s eyes, the shorter subtly relaxing. “I’ll be back to take more pictures of your play, Blaine. For now, go must I.”

Blaine waved with a shy smile, watching Sebastian walk away from him, before hearing a soft tune from the speakers,

 _Ring around the Nightbird_  
_Pocket full of posies_  
_Ashes, ashes_  
_We all fall down_

Blaine’s breath hitched, the scenery plucked from a distant memory slowly dissolving away and he was back inside the dark shadows of his apartment, heart slamming against his chest.

“Blaine.”

He turned so fast he nearly fell over. But he didn’t have Sam to catch him this time.

But it was still caused by the same person.

“Sebastian,” he whispered hoarsely, arms shaking as he chanced a step closer. He looked fine, glasses perched on his nose and looking as beautiful as he did back when they first met. Safe and real. “Sebastian,” Blaine repeated before throwing his arms around him, clinging tightly and using him as an anchor, grounding him back from where he was helplessly floating. “I thought I lost you. I’m so sorry, Sebastian, I’m so—”

“ _Ring around the Nightbird_ ,” Sebastian whispered into his ear, sending a sharp shiver up his spine. “ _A pocket full of posies_.”

Blaine reeled back, his feet scrambling away, watching as Sebastian’s warm complexion fade into a pale canvas, bright blue-green eyes shifting lighter and lighter, until there was nothing left.

“No,” he choked out, knees trembling as Blaine clutched his heart desperately, willing himself not to fall apart like the mess of papers all those years ago. “ _No_ , please!”

“ _Ashes, ashes_.” Sebastian’s head started to tilt on its side more and more, angling distortedly as blood flowed from the corner of his lips, a hand reaching out to Blaine.

“Stop! Make it stop, _please_!”

“ _We all fall_ —”

Blaine flew up into a sitting position, sheets clinging haphazardly to his body with trembling fingers, lungs burning from his harsh attempts to even out his breathing. He buried his face against his bent knees, sobbing relentlessly from another nightmare. He gave himself a few more minutes to calm down before pressing the heel of his palm against the back of his right eye, taking large gulps of air as he looked back up.

Only to catch Sebastian’s lifeless gaze from the foot of the bed.

“ _Down_.”

Blaine screamed.


	3. Itsy Bitsy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Verse #3: Itsy Bitsy  
>  _The itsy bitsy Nightbird climbed up the water spout_  
>  Down came the rain and washed Sebastian out  
> Out came the sun and dried up all the rain  
> And the itsy bitsy Nightbird climbed up the spout again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only took me six months to come back to this. Sorry for the delay! I promise I'm not abandoning this.  
> And as always for all our pleasure, the scary version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPZPxsPdzjk (Warning for graphic images. Seriously, if you hate spiders don't even look at the video. Just enjoy the music—And don’t worry, there are no actual spiders mentioned in the fic). Dedicated to my muse, who keeps pushing me to continue this, you know who you are.

The _itsy bitsy  Nightbird climbed up the water spout_  
_Down came the rain and washed Sebastian out_  
_Out came the sun and dried up all the rain  
_ _And the itsy bitsy  Nightbird climbed up the spout again_

-

Blaine hadn’t slept in days, not when they’ve all haunted his dreams—memories he once treasured all morphing into one dark nightmare after another, seeping beneath his skin and twisting terrors into reality. He was on the verge of a breakdown, one final snap could cause him to shatter into jagged, discarded glass. Pieces of who he once was.

Sebastian’s lifeless eyes, deformed body, hollow voice. Lifeless, empty, _dead_.

No one had seen Sebastian in two weeks, and Blaine was falling part each passing day they found unsuccessful. Reports everywhere, forces and teams searching every crevice of the city, Sam wired in and hacking every location he could reach, and Nightbird fluttering through every building, street, alley, and turn. Nothing.

Sebastian Smythe remained missing and there was no word from Terra.

He needed to find Sebastian, needed him home. Safe and alive.

Before Blaine finally lost himself.

-

Black boots hit the pavement with practiced ease, silently landing with a quiet breeze as wings folded in itself behind him. He had been in this alley countless times the past few days, but he couldn’t help double check his rounds, make sure he didn’t miss anything that could lead him to Sebastian or Terra. But it only took him a slight turn to realize how too familiar this area was.

-

Nightbird paused where his fingers wrapped around the rods of his wings, straightening back up to turn towards the dumpster where he had cornered the robbers five minutes ago, long gone by now after he had deposited them inside a nearby police car. He didn’t need to squint nor adjust his heightened vision; he could see clear as day even when the dim streetlight was all that illuminated the dark alley.

“Come out,” Nightbird ordered in a shadowed voice, altered thanks to Sam’s inventions, as he tilted his head to the side to survey the unmoving bin, hand slowly reaching for his ninja—or as Sam so enthusiastically had put it— _night_ star. “Come out before you regret it.”

It was quiet for several seconds before the lid flew up, but the arm in the air was instantly trapped against the wall behind it in seconds, the blade securing the sleeves tightly.

“No, wait!” A voice called out, its head following right after.

It made Nightbird blink.

“I’m not a bad guy, I swear.” Sebastian desperately tried to lever himself up, uncomfortable where his arm was stretched over him. “I’m just—”

“A photographer,” Blaine’s whisper broke through before he schooled his voice box to a lower notch.

Sebastian seemed to attempt a smile in the dark, doing his best to heave the camera around his neck for proof. “Yeah, exactly. I-I didn’t mean to—”

“Sneak up on me?” Nightbird found himself (almost playfully) challenging him, striding towards the other man and pulling the star free from Sebastian’s sleeve. “I’m not interested in an interview.”

Sebastian soothed his wrist with a quiet “thanks,” and Blaine couldn’t help but notice how hard Sebastian was trying to stare at him, tracing as much of his features he possibly could in such poor lighting. He forced the blush crawling up his neck down, suddenly thankful he chose to be on duty during nighttime. Nightbird had never allowed anyone to be this close to him before, albeit a good five feet remained between them, let alone allowed someone study him for this long. But Blaine couldn’t find it in himself to fly off and leave Sebastian alone, like he always would when reporters and “fans” tried to get too close to him.

“I know. I know that’s your deal but—” Sebastian maneuvered himself off the dumpster, hopping off expertly before dusting himself clean, an almost bashful smile on his face Blaine couldn’t help but find endearing. Nightbird or not, this was his crush afterall. “I wanted to capture that moment when you cornered those thugs.”

“And did you?” Nightbird’s lips quirked up ever so slightly. He was more than aware he didn’t hear any click of the camera, no matter how quiet it could have been.

Sebastian seemed embarrassed. If Blaine was talking to his crush, Sebastian was talking to his hero. “I kinda got trapped inside when you pushed them against the bin...couldn’t sneak my camera out,” he explained lamely, clearing his throat as he subtly twisted the lense into focus where it remained perched over his chest.

Nightbird took a precautionary step back.

“I’ve been trying to-to get your face on the paper. The city needs to see how real you are. Everyone—” Sebastian seemed to be trying to get everything out in one breath, knowing how scarce this opportunity was. “Just let me—”

“No.” Nightbird caught green eyes in the dark before moving past him, cape fluttering in his wake that brushed lightly against Sebastian’s arm.

It left the taller entranced for a moment.

“Please. I’m not here to bad mouth you. You’re-You’re a hero.” Sebastian continued, halting Nightbird’s steps.

_“Yeah, I’ve been trying to get his story on the paper for months. But my asshole boss always gives me the ‘No pictures, no story’ bullshit.”_

“You deserve to be known.”

_“You wanna take pictures of Nightbird?”_

_“One of the reasons I got so into photography, I switched majors in college.”_

Nightbird allowed himself to smile, recalling back to when he and Sebastian met three days ago. The very memory ingrained in his mind, playing on loop nonstop for the past 72 hours.

He carefully looked over his shoulder, grateful to see Sebastian being respectful of his wishes despite his obvious desire to snap a picture of him, long fingers twitching over the camera’s button, yet refusing to steal a click without proper permission.

“Just one, I promise,” Sebastian persuaded, offering a charming smile that would have Blaine agreeing easily, but Nightbird was always better at holding their ground.

“No.”

The other frowns, shoulders slumping slightly. “Why?”

“If I wanted to be praised and known, I would have chosen to be a superhero during the day with brightly coloured spandex and a rainbow cape.” Nightbird fully turned to face Sebastian, crossing his arms over his chest. He was pleased to see an amused smile gracing Sebastian’s lips. “I do what I do in certain ways because that’s how I want it. I don’t want the glory and the fame. My job begins and ends with saving people. I’m not a hero.”  His arms pulled the rods of his wings free, stretching it over and above himself, striking Sebastian in surprise that left him in awe. “I’m merely an avenger.”

Nightbird turns his back from the other man, crouching to angle himself better and prepare for his disappearance when he suddenly spoke up, “But.”

“But?” Sebastian was quick to echo, sounding far too hopeful.

But he _trusted_ him. Blaine met Sebastian first, and that somehow makes all the difference in the rules they had set up. Sam would lecture him about it later, or probably celebrate that their “Superhero Escapades” were finally being recognized. But now all that mattered was somehow allow Sebastian to touch this part of Blaine’s life, reach out and entrust Nightbird with another person that not only admired him, but bestowed him as his own personal hero.

_“What I meant to say was, I didn’t think anyone would be interested in writing a story about the guy.” I didn’t think anyone would be interested in writing a story about me._

_“I do. I think he’s great.”_

“But just one. Make it good.” And with a giant leap, Nightbird swung himself across, running against the walls before finding wind, stretching his wings wide and flying off into the night. He could practically feel Sebastian’s wide and grateful smile below him, surprised to find himself actually enjoying the sound of the camera clicking, capturing this side of him on film, at the fruitful cost of granting Sebastian his wish.

-

_“Nightbird.”_

The chilling whisper steered Nightbird back to reality, making another sharp turn just in time to catch a black shadow gliding past him in a blur. But it was gone as soon as it came.

“Terra!” Nightbird ran towards the next turn, only to find himself facing a dead end. “Terra!”

_“Nightbird, have you come out to play?”_

Nightbird tried to ignore the harsh cold air that seemed to have seeped into his skin, spreading over his bloodstreams in seconds. He gritted his teeth with light feet, ready to run or soar at any given moment, all the while facing every direction he could manage to try and find even a trace of that shadow. “Terra, bring me back Sebastian Smythe!”

_“Then come play.”_

A collective gasp sounded from somewhere in the city, followed by the beginnings of a soft, melodic tune.

It terrified Blaine to his very core.

_The itsy bitsy Nightbird climbed up the water spout_

“No,” he whispered, dashing from the alleyway and down the streets as his wings slowly released itself behind his armour, and all at once spread out and lifted him up from the pavement.

_Down came the rain and washed Sebastian out_

“Sebastian!”

 _Out came the sun and dried up all the rain  
_ _And the itsy bitsy Nightbird climbed up the spout again_

In the middle of downtown was a giant screen that was usually saved for celebrations and holidays to project the latest Hallmark commercial or important news report. Today it showed a blindfolded Sebastian Smythe in front of a black screen, sitting on a chair with his hands tied behind his back and a cloth wrapped over his mouth.

“Sebastian!” Blaine’s voice broke through, landing at the center of one of the towers that hovered over the crowd, all gathering in front of the screen. Shouts and murmurs of panic filtered through the streets, everyone unable to tear their eyes away from Sebastian Smythe.

Nightbird clicked at his earpiece while his entirety remained focused on nothing else other than what he was forcing himself to see; Sebastian bound and trapped. But the constant reassurance of _he’s alive he’s alive he’s alive_ echoed in his mind over and over. A choked noise escaped the back of his throat.

“ _Sam._ ”

“I know, it’s broadcasted across the city,” came Sam’s frantic voice, surrounded by the erratic typing against his keyboard. “I’m trying to trace the location of where it’s being shot but it’s all blocked. It’s like Sebastian isn’t even in _this_ world anymore.”

A rippled sob followed. It made Sam type even faster.

 _The itsy bitsy Nightbird climbed up the water spout_  
_Down came the rain and washed Sebastian out_  
_Out came the sun and dried up all the rain  
_ _And the itsy bitsy Nightbird climbed up the spout again_

“Sebastian!” Nightbird tried to scream across the crowd, across the city, and across all barriers that was standing between him and the person he loved. Many have taken notice of his presence in the middle of the square, but everyone was too busy trying to grasp the situation to even dare and bother their hero.

“ _Let me ask you again, Nightbird. Have you come out to play?”_

But no matter how hard he tried, Blaine couldn’t find his voice other than to scream out Sebastian’s name in desperation. He watched as Sebastian struggled and heaved himself off from the grasps, shirt slightly skewed and hair a mess, but overall Blaine was more than relieved to find him unharmed. He needed to break through the screen and touch Sebastian, feel him beneath his fingertips and have him _safe and alive_ in his arms.

“Terra, please! Release him!” Nightbird’s screech boomed over the city, the high pitched shrill shattering the windows of buildings surrounding the crowd. People cowered in on themselves, shouting and covering themselves from shattered glass raining over them.

The sound was penetrating, cutting through everyone’s ears and vibrating against their body. A strong contrast to the gentle flow of music still singing over the screech. Yet as frightening all the same.

 _The itsy bitsy Nightbird climbed up the water spout_  
_Down came the rain and washed Sebastian out_  
_Out came the sun and dried up all the rain  
_ _And the itsy bitsy Nightbird climbed up the spout again_

_“All you have to do is play, Nightbird. Play and you’ll be rewarded.”_

Blaine’s eyes widened as the camera slowly zoomed out to reveal Sebastian sitting in the middle of an encased, rectangular tank; tall and see-through that trapped Sebastian effectively.

_The itsy bitsy Nightbird climbed up the water spout_

The tank began to fill up with water.

“No!” Nightbird screamed once more. “Stop!”

Sebastian began to struggle harder, chest heaving up and down in harsher attempts, pulling his arms and legs free from where they're bounded tightly around the chair.

Tears began to fill Blaine’s vision.

_Down came the rain and washed Sebastian out_

The water rose higher and higher, reaching up to Sebastian’s stomach, chest and burying his arms underneath. Sounds of his muffled yells and grunts leaked through the sound system.

_“Sebastian!”_

Everyone started yelling louder, begging for it to stop along with Nightbird and their desperate wishes to save this man. Many scattered all over the place to try and find any connection to where the TV might be broadcasting it, sirens and police radios began to take over buildings that may be housing Sebastian, calls and pleas for Terra to hear them. Everyone moved except for Blaine, who felt completely numb where he stood; grounded and heavy.

“Sam, do something!” Blaine begged, his ribs coiling around his chest and suffocating his lungs as he continued to watch the water rise over Sebastian’s shoulder.

“Nothing’s working!” Sam cried over the call, the harsh sound of keyboards being used harder taking over the other line. “Blaine, _I’m so sorry_.”

“No!”

Sebastian tipped his chin as high as he could to escape the water until he gurgled over it, reaching past his mouth, nose and eyes, until he’s completely submerged underwater.

Blaine fell to his knees.

“ _Sebastian!”_

The crowd was growing wild, yet everything sounded of white noise to Blaine, engulfing every cadence of his existence until he could no longer breathe.

Sebastian tried to remain still while occasional strings of bubbles escaped his mouth, no doubt saving his energy and retain oxygen as best as he could. But he would only be able to last for so long.

Blaine screeched louder, the sound nearly cracking the giant screen and causing more people to scream.

“ _Have you come out to play?”_

And Blaine gave up. “Yes! Yes, yes!” He cried, choking on his sobs as he exhaled heavily, looking up to try and address Terra. “Just please don’t kill him!”

_“Then play.”_

Blaine had no idea what Terra was asking from him, yet with so many people surrounding him, it was slowly registering that Terra was exposing Nightbird to his people, to a city that once upheld him on a pedestal and deemed him unbreakable, mysterious, their _hero_.

All broken down into a mess of jagged pieces, losing every bit of himself and exposing the existence of his weakness to the world.

He was a pawn in Terra’s game.

Child’s play.

“ _Out_ —” Nightbird choked out, his mask soaked with tears and his cape embracing him weakly as he struggled to continue. “ _Out came the—the sun and d-dried up all the rain_ ,” he sang as best as he could, eyes wavering as they helplessly watched Sebastian’s body starting to rattle and panic underwater. “ _And—and the itsy bitsy Nightbird climbed up the spout again!”_

The water drained itself out in a blink of an eye, leaving a coughing Sebastian desperately taking in as much air as he could back into himself, head ducked down with a violent shiver.

Blaine collapsed on his side, gasping a relieved exhale with a heavy heart _—_ head pounding and body thrumming with exhaustion.

Sebastian was alive and safe.

-

The day after Nightbird’s encounter with Sebastian in the alleyway, Blaine grabbed the morning paper with a sip of his coffee—which he nearly scalded his tongue with when he opened the front page, where a photograph of Nightbird took over the fine print for the first time ever, perfectly capturing the way he soared through the night sky with his wings and cape spread out behind him mid-flight.

 _‘Streak of Robbery Ended, Saved by Nightbird,’_ Blaine followed the headline, whispering the next three words with a smile, “ _The Nocturnal Avenger.”_

 

 


End file.
